The Best Beet Kvass Recipe | The Upcycled Family (2024)

FAQs

Can I drink kvass everyday? ›

We regularly have people who can comfortably consume the equivalent of 5mls or a teaspoon of Bio-Beet Kvass daily for up to a month before they are ready to start increasing that amount. Our advice is to stick with it and trust your body - it wants to go slow for a good reason.

Deep ruby in color, pleasingly tart and salty in taste, beet kvass is a healthful, probiotic tonic that delights both eye and palate. Beets are, of course, chock full of nutrition on their own; they are rich in folate, manganese, copper, and potassium, as well as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Beet kvass is fermented beetroot juice with a treasure trove of goodness, loaded with probiotics and immune and neurological supportive B vitamins as well as naturally occurring betaine to help reduce inflammation whilst protecting our cells from oxidative stress and free radical damage.

Do they need to be refrigerated? Yes! Once they are done fermenting we package and put in refrigerator to drastically slow down fermentation. As the cool stalls fermentation and keeps them alive.

Naturally fermented kvass contains 5.9%±0.02 carbohydrates, of which 5.7%±0.02 are sugars (mostly fructose, glucose, and maltose), as well as 0.71±0.09, 1.28±0.12, and 18.14±0.48 mg/100 g of thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin respectively.

Water is the best choice for quenching your thirst. Coffee and tea, without added sweeteners, are healthy choices, too. Some beverages should be limited or consumed in moderation, including fruit juice, milk, and those made with low-calorie sweeteners, like diet drinks.

If you are prone to kidney stones, it's best to avoid beet juice or whole beets. If you aren't susceptible to this ailment, it's fine to enjoy a few cups of beet juice once in a while. Just be sure that you combine your beet juices with foods that are high in calcium or dairy products to balance oxalic acid.

Avoid stone-forming foods such as beets, chocolate, spinach, rhubarb, tea, and most nuts that are rich in oxalate. For some people, high doses of vitamin C in the form of supplements can lead to higher risk of kidney stones.

However, for ESRD patients, beets are typically avoided because they are also high in potassium. Your kidneys work to filter out excess potassium and the amount of potassium in your diet is directly related to the amount of potassium found in blood.

Among people who are new to drinking probiotic drinks, kvass can potentially give them stomachaches or other mild side effects at first. Introduce this drink to your diet slowly to minimize any reactions, such as nausea, heartburn or bloating.

Does kvass have B12? ›

Kvass does have some health benefits as it contains manganese, vitamin B12, iron, copper, and magnesium with also a good amount of fiber. Depending if you add any fruits or vegetables such as beets in the kvass, there could be even more antioxidants.

Homemade beet kvass is a lacto-fermented drink that contains Lactobacillus bacteria. These bacteria are considered gut-friendly probiotics. The salt used in the lacto-fermentation process kills harmful bacteria.

You can easily recognise commercial kvass by looking at the best-before date, which can extend to 12-36 months at room temperature.

I recommend tasting a little bit every day, beginning on day 3. You will know your beet kvass is done when it has changed flavor, smells different than when it started (deeper, more earthy), and has an effervescent tang to it.

And as every chef knows, the best way to test something is to taste it. Kvass can take anywhere between 2-7 days before it's fermented to perfection, so try tasting a little after the second day. What you're looking for is that perfect balance of sweet and sour, with a hint of carbonation.

Beet Kvass Benefits for the Liver

Traditionally, beet kvass was used as a tonic for the blood and liver (6). There's merit to that tradition, too. That's because beets contain phytonutrients called betalains as well as betaine, and these nutrients help support liver health.

These good microbes contribute to the many health benefits associated with this traditional Slavic and Eastern-European beverage. Packed with essential vitamins like B1, B3, B2, and B6, genuine kvass also fulfils key requirements for dietary fibres and microelements (zinc and copper) (Ignat et al., 2020).

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that four ounces of kombucha can be safely consumed one to three times a day. Overconsumption can lead to headache, nausea, gastrointestinal distress, or ketoacidosis.

However, drinking around 4–12 ounces of kombucha per day is a safe amount for most people. Like many fermented foods, it really depends on your body and what you personally need. It's best to start with a small serving (½ cup per day) and work up from there.